Prohibition+9M-A

PROHIBITON By: Rob Contento, Natalie Pucilowski, and Claire Grassey

Prohibition of alcohol is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of [|alcohol] and [|alcoholic beverages]. In the Roaring 20’s, alcohol was banned from the United States. Even though it was banned many people had illegal bars or sold alcohol illegally. Many gangsters would get a hold of these illegal drinks by bribing or threatening the cops. There have been many fights over the prohibition of alcohol. The last result for the Americans desperate need for this drink was bootlegging. This did not end very well for most bootlegging Americans. Gangsters, bootlegging, and massacres were all results of prohibition.


 * 1) trucked - moved from one palce to another []
 * 2) bootleggers - is the illegal business of transporting (smuggling) alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden []
 * 3) tearooms - a venue centered on drinking tea []
 * 4) moonshine - illegal liquor made by people []

Gansters: Al Capone

By: Rob Contento

Also known as: Alphonse Capone; Scarface; "Scarface” Born: 1899 Died: 1947 Occupation: organized crime leader

Al Capone was a cruel teen in the hoods of Brooklyn. Al Capone reached the position of the most powerful and most feared mob boss by the age 26. It was claimed that he owned Chicago. Chicago wasn’t a regular city in the 1900’s; during the prohibition (the legal [|prohibiting] of the manufacture and sale of alcoholic drinks for common consumption) age, it was a city of gangsters.

 <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">At its peak the Capone mob had around 1000 members. These 1,000 members were not any regular people; most of the gang members were experienced gunmen’s. Even with 1000 people, this represented only a portion of Capone’s overall empire. Capone often proclaimed, "I own the police," and it was true. Capone had more than half the police staff on his payroll. Capone’s hold on the politicians was probably greater. He had state's attorneys, mayors, legislators, governors and even congressmen on his payroll as well. When Capone wanted a big vote in elections, he got out the vote; when he wanted to control the election returns, his gangsters intimidated and terrorized thousands of voters. Also, later in Capone’s career he got into the bootleg (alcoholic liquor unlawfully made, sold, or transported, without registration or payment of [|taxes]) business which is an illegal [|alcohol] business. This soon to be fortune did not turn out so well for him. He got pinched (caught in doing something wrong and the sentence is jail) for the illegal use of alcohol. He had to go to jail for 10 years. This was the downfall of the Capone gang.

<span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">“Al Capone.” //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. //<span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';"> Grolier Online, 2011. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">"Al Capone." //Http://www.fofweb.com/NuHistory/default.asp?ItemID=WE52&NewItemID=True <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Http://www.old-picture.com/united-states-history-1900s---1930s/pictures/Bootleg-Still.jpg//. Web. <span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">Wukovits, John F. //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The 1920s //<span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2000. Print.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre started when a lot of illegal alcohol was being dealt. There was a lot of tension between gangs in Chicago over that time. Gangs were gangbanging and fighting over the illegal dealings. One of the biggest dealers was in Chicago on February 14, 1929.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Some of the gangsters from George “Bugs” Moran Gang dressed up as police men and went into another gang’s garage. As they entered, the firing started. In the midst of the firing there were seven killings. The garage was located on North Clark Street. This was a deadly massacre and a big deal in 1929. This massacre pretty much broke up the George “Bugs” Moran Gang.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">"Saint Valentine's Day Massacre." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Grolier Online, 2011. Web. 11 Mar. 2011.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">"THE ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE." //AMERICAN HAUNTINGS: WHERE DEAD MEN STILL TELL TALES//. Web. 14 Mar. 2011.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Wukovits, John F. The 1920s. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2000. Print.

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<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Bootleggers

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">After the 18th Amendment was passed the manufacturing, importing, brewing and sale of liquor was illegal. Before the law was passed, brewing had been the fifth largest industry in the United States. On January 16, 1920, all companies were directly put out of business creating a chain reaction putting saloons, liquor stores, etc. out of business as well. There were mixed feelings throughout the American public about this new amendment. The 18th Amendment, also known as the “dry” laws, was put into play in twenty-six states. The areas where people who wanted to buy liquor were called “wet” areas. With the new prohibition act, there was no place in the country where alcohol was permitted. The use of alcohol was reduced to only about 50%. The selling of alcohol went underground, it never stopped. This created a whole new business, an abundance of crime to come and another way for people to break the laws. Before the law knew it many thugs were making money with saloons, brothels, and gambling halls. The market was high for illegal liquor. The illegal liquor itself was a big new business. “The crime underworld grew as it brought alcohol to the cities”. This is when these secret places, called speakeasies, came into play. Hidden behind drugstores, tea rooms, and other legitimate businesses, speakeasies were where the drinking was at. Speakeasies obviously were illegal so they were kept on the down low. But where did the speakeasies get the liquor? Speakeasies had to find the loop holes. Luckily, America didn’t have “dry” neighbors. America had liquor brought in from Mexico and Canada to sell at local saloons, etc. Also, sitting outside the United States water, were ships waiting to be met to ferry in liquor to the States shores. The men who held this job were called ‘rumrunners’. There was another way to get liquor into the United States: brewing it in hidden places. This liquor was brewed at night, they called this ‘moonshine‘ because it was only brewed under the bright moonlight so the makers wouldn’t get caught by the coppers. All the speakeasies had a way to get their liquor whether it be getting trucked in from the United States neighbors, being shipped over seas, or secretly being brewed.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Robinson, Toni Lee. "Bootleggers, Rumrunners, and Moonshine - The Business of Prohibition." EdHelper.com - Math, Reading Comprehension, Themes, Lesson Plans, and Printable Worksheets. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. [].

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Wukovits, John F. The 1920s. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2000. Print.

^ A busy speakeasy <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[]

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">^ A moonshine still. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">[]

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